Beauty in the Beast
by Intercontinental
Summary: Outworld's evil emperor is finally gone, vanquished by the hand of the heir to the throne he deposed. His demise brings about the recovery of Outworld as it reverts back into Edenia, the realm it once. His death also releases the hold he had over a certain woman.
1. Chapter 1

Beauty in the Beast

Chapter 1: Starting Anew

Shao Kahn was dead. Defeated by the woman he claimed as his daughter. By Kitana's hand, the reign of most evil tyrant to have ever existed had come to a crashing halt. With his death, Outworld was beginning to revert back to its original state; that of Kitana's home realm, Edenia. The corruption wrought by the evil that seeped from Shao Kahn's soul was fading into the void.

The emperor's influence was also fading from those he came into contact with. Enter Mileena. A genetic amalgamation of Kitana's essence mixed with Tarkatan blood created by Shao Kahn as a replacement for the adopted daughter who detested him so, Mileena found herself without purpose after his death. As she wandered aimlessly through the recovering lands, she began to notice something. She felt something about herself changing. Mileena, long known and feared for her ultraviolent tendencies, began to feel something that was very unfamiliar to her. It took her quite some time to put a finger on it, but after much searching deep within herself, Mileena understood. She felt… calm. She felt at ease.

The rage and need to lash out and any and everything around her were slowly waning. With Shao Kahn's death, the vile corruption that spilled forth from his being that had permeated into the realm and twisted Mileena's mind from her very birth no long held sway over her. Though she did not know what to do with her newfound freedom, she liked it.

In the months that followed, Edenia was indeed returning to its former glory. The last of Shao Kahn's influence had finally burned away, and the realm was now free of all remnants of what had made it Outworld for so long. Mileena was also completely free. She had contemplated many times attempting to integrate herself into Edenia's society, but fear that its citizenry would not accept her because of her past deeds held her at bay. Before long, she began to feel a longing. These pangs were caused by the ever-present loneliness of her self-invoked exile. This longing brought her to a decision… Seek out the only family she had.

Mileena had no idea what to expect when she came face to face with her sister. She knew that there would indeed be an enmity that would be very difficult for Kitana to look past. But in her heart, she wanted so badly to have some kind of connection with the only person alive with whom she shared anything.

After a long journey, Mileena's travels brought her back to the Idlewyld Manse, once Shao Kahn's primary base of operations and now the seat of Kitana's rule. Heavily disguised to avoid arousing suspicion, Mileena approached the gates of the Manse.

"Speak, traveler," announced the watch on duty. "State your business."

Bowing her head and speaking in a soft tone, Mileena replied, "I seek the princess, Kitana, that I might have words with her."

The guards looked at each for a moment, then back to Mileena. The smaller of the two gripped his scutum harder and spoke up. "Mind yourself, traveler, for you speak of Edenia's empress. Who would seek an audience with our ruler and not know properly of her title?" He regarded Mileena with a discerning and suspicious eye. "What manner of traveler dresses so heavily wrapped during these hot summer days, anyhow?"

The larger guard grasped the grip of his gladius, unsheathing it quickly as his partner spoke. He pointed the tip of his blade at Mileena's forehead and said, "I'll not have one with your look near the grace of the Empress. You've an air of danger around you."

With her head still bowed and a sword threatening to pierce the skin on her head, Mileena slowly reached behind her back. Without making any sudden movements, she retrieved her sais and held them out at her sides. "I assure you both, I mean your Empress no harm." Again, sure not to make any sudden moves, she presented her weapons to the guards and kneeled in a sign of surrender. "Please… I wish only to have her listen to what I want to say."

The smaller guard sheathed his sword then stepped forward and commandeered her weapons. As he turned to step back to his post, he noticed the captain of the guard come out. The captain, who had come out to see what was going on, took in the sight of an unarmed woman with a sword at her face. "While I certainly can not say I like the sight of a defenseless traveler on bended knee at the mercy of my guard, I also can not help but think there is reason this is so." He approached his guard and Mileena. "Arise, traveler, and inform me of your purpose here."

Standing, but avoiding eye contact, Mileena spoke with her head still pointed to the ground. "I am not here to create trouble. I merely wish that I be granted a moment of the Empress' time."

The guard captain was not as weary of Mileena's presence as his guards were. "As you have so readily surrendered yourself to the authority of my guard, I will pass along your request." Mileena felt a bit of the stress of her situation lift. The captain continued. "However, I do harbor enough paranoia that I will not allow one with a cloaked face near her Highness."

Suddenly, Mileena was taken by a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. After a moment of hesitation, one the captain and both guards picked up on, she said, "Of course… I would not attempt to impose upon you or your guard the thoughts of danger." Mileena reached to pull the cloak and cowl from her shoulders and head.

In the time that passed since Shao Kahn's demise and her mind was freed of his dark influence, Mileena began to dress much more modestly. By the standards of some, what she wore would have still been considered risqué, but compared to the skin tight and revealing body suit she used to wear, her newer look was a lot more acceptable to the eye of general populous. She wore long black pants that hugged close to her skin, a sleeveless pink top that showed a lot less cleavage than she used to, leather bracers dyed the same color as the top, and of course, her omnipresent mask to obscure her Tarkatan heritage.

The guards took in the sight of the traveling woman and were instantly put at ease. While Mileena was personally foreign to them, her clothes, while different in type, were of the same style as those worn by Jade, Empress Kitana's closest friend and personal guardian. It also worked in her favor that aside from her visage, she was a highly attractive woman.

Bowing her head again in the hope that they would not recognize her face, Mileena addressed the captain of the guard. "You have my weapons. As you can see, I am of no harm to anyone. Of this, I swear you my word."

The guard captain very much appreciated how polite Mileena was in their interaction. He stepped toward the smaller of the two guards. "Allow her entry and see her to the waiting chamber. I will take her weapons and inform the Empress of her guest." His guard handed over Mileena's sais and saluted his captain.

The captain returned the salute and turned toward the gate of the Manse. As he disappeared in one direction, no doubt headed for his own post, the guard motioned for Mileena to go with him.


	2. Chapter 2

Beauty in the Beast

Chapter 2: Reunion

As Mileena sat in the waiting chamber of the Idlewyld Manse, her mind raced with possible scenarios of how this would play out. She hoped furiously that she would be able to find some way to make peace with her sister. Her only wish was that she could form some kind of bond with the only person that she could consider family. She mulled over the animosity that existed between her and Kitana. She tried to figure some kind of way to explain how for so many years, her mind was not her own.

"How bold of you to ever come back here," said a voice in the distance. Mileena's eye instantly trained on the door to the chamber. There stood her "sister", the genetic template from which she was crafted. Kitana, having now taken her rightful place as empress of the realm of Edenia, entered the room, albeit with extreme caution. "When my guard captain explained to me what was going on and described our visitor, I could hardly believe you would actually be here." Kitana stopped after taking but a few steps into the room. From behind her stormed in a troupe of guardsmen, all wielding crossbows at the ready.

Mileena, not at all surprised by Kitana's welcome, looked the Empress right in the eye. Kitana noticed right away there was a certain, intangible difference in her eyes. Gone was the wild, murderous glow that used to fill them. "Kitana…" she said as she stood to approach. "Please, listen."

Immediately, Kitana threw up a hand. "Hold where you stand!" she commanded. "Lest you wish to taste the wrath of ten crossbows simultaneously." Without being told to do so, here entourage all raised their weapons with Mileena in their sights.

Understanding fully the weight of her predicament, Mileena froze in place and put her hands out in front of her to show she meant no harm. "Please, I beg of you! Hear me out, sister!"

Kitana's marksmen were all flabbergasted to hear Mileena say that. "Never call me that!" Kitana spat. She was very visibly perturbed at being called 'sister' by her clone. "Guard your tongue, wretch, or I'll have it forcibly removed from that foul hole in your face."

Not to be deterred, Mileena continued. "Please, Empress. Allow me to speak. I ask only that you listen and acknowledge what I say."

Nearly faster than Mileena could register what had happened, Kitana drew one of her bladed fans and threw it so it was impaled in the floor right at Mileena's feet. "Of what import could anything coming from you possibly hold?!"

Mileena could almost taste the deeply seeded mistrust and disdain that Kitana was exuding in waves. What she did next both shocked and confused everyone in the room. Mileena turned on her heels and dropped to her knees with both hands above her head. With ten crossbow marksmen and an infinitely angry Empress at her back in this submissive position, she was completely defenseless. "Kitana… Please… I come bearing no ill will. Allow me to say my piece."

Weary of what her clone might have had planned but aware of how advantageous the situation had become, Kitana relented. "Fine. You have my ear."

"Thank you, si… Empress." Mileena felt a weight lift from her chest. Moving only to drop her hands to her sides, Mileena spoke again. "I wanted to make contact with you as you are the only person I have any connection to."

"Know this, demon. I will NOT accept that there is any connection between us!"

"You wound me…" Genuinely hurt by that statement, Mileena's head drooped. "Shao Kahn created me as your copy to be his daughter in your stead when you rose against him." She reached a hand to her mask as she went on. "Were it not for my… unfortunate visage… I would have been your mirror image."

"Get to your point, wretch," Kitana quipped, venom oozing from her words. "You are not telling me anything I did not already know."

"Yes. Of course. My point is that I have come to prove that change has happened upon me."

Kitana huffed, skeptical of this statement, and crossed her arms. "Change you say? What kind of change? And just what exactly makes you think I would entertain the thought of believing such a thing?"

Inwardly, Mileena smiled. She knew this was her opportunity. "The proof lies all around you!" she said, arms spread out for emphasis.

An eye brow shot upward on Kitana. "How so?"

Sensing her chance, Mileena said, "The realm of Edenia! Surely you've noticed how as time passed after fath… Shao Kahn's demise, that all that was twisted to his liking had turned back to its former state."

Her words hit Kitana like stone. Her face, though Mileena could not see it, showed obvious signs of contemplation on the thoughts that were just provoked. "Inclusive of… you," Kitana said in a low voice.

Unable to hold back the sudden surge of excitement, Mileena said, "Yes! Even me!"

Although Kitana could certainly not deny the metamorphosis she saw that had gradually taken place throughout Edenia, she was still skeptical and suspicious of Mileena. "How am I to just outright accept that you are any different from the stone cold killer you were only months ago?"

Mileena's eyes widened. Stricken again by panic, she felt the little bit of victory she had thought she was achieving was slipping away. She searched through her mind and memories for something that could her. Then it came to her. She stood suddenly, causing the marksmen all to jump a bit, but she did not turn around.

"Kitana! You have known me since my birth, yes? And you have known what I have been like."

The Empress rolled her eyes. "Yes, unfortunately, I can say have had the displeasure of having known you that long."

"Then you should remember how I have always been, yes? I believe at one point, you described me to the specter of Queen Sindel as 'a heartless, uncouth beast with the mind of a child that lives only for the death she deals and the pleasures she wants'". Simultaneously as she spoke, Mileena also held entire conversation with the frantic movements of her hands. This put the guards and Kitana on edge, but no one said anything of it. "Would the Mileena of then with such an infantile mind be here before you now speaking rationally? Would the old Mileena have so willingly put herself in danger by appearing so openly? Would the old Mileena ever surrender herself to any authority that was not Shao Kahn?"

Kitana's eyes widened this time. Again, Mileena's words carried logic that she could not deny or ignore. After a moment to let it sink in, the Empress spoke. "I understand that you may be different without Kahn's influence, but you have still not said why you are here," she said in a firm, stately voice.

The excited movements of Mileena's hands stopped. The excitement in her seemed to drain out almost instantly and her head dropped. Her entire being seemed to be possessed by a strong sense of melancholy. Eyes firmly planted on her feet, she said, "Kitana… I came to see if I could have a chance at something I never had before…" To the startling surprise of everyone present, Mileena suddenly and quickly spun around to face the Empress. When she looked up into her eyes, Kitana spotted something that absolutely threw her for a loop. A tear.

A single tear threatened Mileena's eye. It won its short battle for freedom and rolled the short distance from her eye to her mask. "I came here… for you. I came here… for family."

Kitana could do nothing. She was absolutely locked in place, speechless, and had no idea how to respond to what was laid before her.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Three's Company

Words could not describe the amount of shock, awe, and emotion that passed through all the occupants of the waiting chamber of the Idlewyld Manse. Empress Kitana stood stark still, speechless from what Mileena had laid before her. The Empress' entourage of crossbow wielding soldiers was confused and did not know what to do about it all. Finally, there was Mileena. She had gone back to Shao Kahn's old base, the place of her birth, in the hopes of being able to connect with her "sister".

At that moment, she stood before her sister on the brink of an emotional breakdown. Kitana's lack of response thus far was making it harder for Mileena to keep her composure. More tears followed the first, and they had successfully obscured her vision. Again, Mileena's head dropped and she had to muster everything she had to speak through the crying. "Please… Kitana, please. Say something. Anything!"

Kitana, still unable to form a rational thought amidst the cloudy haze this situation created in her mind, simply stood there in silence for a few moments as Mileena digressed further into a breakdown. Then, suddenly and to the surprise of everyone present, she spoke. "Guardsmen. You may take your leave."

"But your grace…" the marksman closest to her on the left began.

"Leave us, lieutenant," she repeated in a firm tone. Without further protest, he saluted his Empress and motioned for the rest of the troupe to follow his as he left. Just as quickly and crisply as they had entered into the room behind Kitana, the crossbow marksmen had filed out, leaving Mileena with their Empress.

"Now that they are gone," Kitana began as she approached her clone, "I would have you speak more on this."

Mileena, though still crying, felt great relief. "Please, Kitana. All I want… is to have someone close. All I ask for is to know what it is like to be a part of a family."

Kitana could not shake the skepticism that loomed over this whole situation. Deep down, she suspected that even with such a display of pure emotion, the like of which she had to admit she had never seen from Mileena, that she was still plotting something. "Mileena, you must understand. After all that has happened, certainly you can not just expect me to welcome you with open arms. Besides, what true connection between us is there other than that you were made from me?"

Kitana's words cut her deeper than her sais could ever reach. Mileena's sobs grew stronger and the tears flowed freely. "Truthfully," Kitana continued, "I had always thought of you as an abomination of nature wrought by the hand of a man who did not deserve the life he was given." Mileena cried harder as Kitana proceeded to twist the knife in her heart.

Closer and closer Mileena spiraled toward breaking down. She wiped the tears from her eyes enough to see the Empress clearly. Not afraid of any consequence, she approached her sister. "Kitana… You are my only hope…" she said. "If you will not accept me as family, then I beg of you… Strike me down!"

Kitana took in a hard breath, utterly shocked by Mileena's sentiment. "If I am not meant to know of family, then I don't wish to continue to exist…" she said, her words drenched in genuine sorrow. She proceeded to close the distance between herself and her sister, knowing that once she got close enough, Kitana would be forced to take action.

"This may sound cliché," came a voice out of nowhere, "but you asked for it!" From the rafters, the source of the voice dropped into the room, between Kitana and the approaching Mileena. Before them stood Jade, Empress Kitana's best friend of many years and her personal guardian. Jade pushed Kitana back further to put more space between her and Mileena. Brandishing her retractable staff in a defensive position, Jade said, "There's only so much I can observe before making my presence felt. You will NOT impose your will in any manner upon Kitana! And if you want so badly to be ended, then I am more than will to bring about that end and see that you pester my Empress no more!" After she finished speaking, Jade pounded her staff to the floor and dared Mileena to attack.

Mileena was encased in grief and sorrow. Sad and defenseless, she dropped her head to the floor and simply walked forward, knowing that Jade or Kitana would put her down. Responding to what she saw as a possible threat, Jade produced her throwing blade and winged at Mileena. Unaware of the incoming hazard, Mileena continued forward. The blade whizzed by her head, grazing her left cheek and cutting away a small tuft of her hair. Still, she moved toward them.

Jade looked back at Kitana. They traded the same bewildered look before turning their attention back to Mileena. Jade held her staff out, catching the end of it on Mileena's chest, halting her forward motion. "Do you truly not fear a beating or your own death?" Jade asked out of curiosity.

"You heard me," she replied softly. "Without Shao Kahn, I have no defined purpose. Without Kitana, I have no connection to this world. If I have no reason to be in this world and no connection to it, why stay on it?" The melancholy was thick within her, so much so, that it seemed to seep out from invisible seams.

More than she cared to admit even to herself, Kitana was unnerved by Mileena's plight. Some deep part of her soul felt for the clone. Mulling over that for a moment, she was suddenly hit with a revelation. She was beginning to understand. It finally dawned on her that Mileena was as she was through no fault of her own. She may have come into being by the hand and through the efforts of a madman, but as any child, she did not get the choice.

Skepticism, suspicion, and old grudges battled it out with rationale and pity in Kitana's mind. In the end, the lighter side of the argument had prevailed. "Jade…" the Empress began. "Jade… sheath your weapons."

"Are you sure, Kitana?" The Emerald Assassin was not one to question her best friend, but she could sense that this was a totally unusual set of circumstances.

Kitana simply nodded. Seeing that, Jade retracted her bo staff and folded her throwing blade. When the pressure of the staff was released from her chest, Mileena dropped to her knees and continued crying. Kitana, now beyond any fear of what danger she thought Mileena might pose, got down to the floor next to her. Jade looked on as her Empress coddled the woman who was once a reviled enemy.

As Mileena cried, Kitana cradled her head into herself. The instant they made contact, somehow all of Mileena's inner turmoil was funneled into Kitana. She was bombarded with the undeniable truth of the clone's emotional and mental state. This transfer, by whatever magical or spiritual origin, was proof of their connection. Realizing this, she held her closer and spoke softly. "Mileena… I understand now. You are like a lost child, struggling to find her way."

Jade, though still a bit skeptical herself, held unwavering confidence in Kitana's judgment. She looked on and admired as her best friend and Empress proved the grace she professed.

Kitana went on. "I am unsure how we will make it work, but know now that this place, the place of your birth, will once again be your home."

"Kitana…"

"No," she cut her off. "No words now. You will rest. Your mind and soul seem to have taken quite the beating from this ordeal." Kitana motioned for her guardian. "Jade, please pass on the order to have one of the larger guest rooms converted for permanent stay. Mileena is home now."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Acceptance At Last. But...

Though mentally and physically exhausted from the entire ordeal, Mileena was infinitely elated. It was an absolute triumph to have her sister understand what she was going through. It was all the more sweet that she not only understood, but accepted her. Empress Kitana had passed along the order that by her imperial decree, Mileena was to stay, be granted Edenian citizenship, and be pardoned for everything she done and taken part in under Shao Kahn's rule.

Kitana made that decree as a result of the mystical rush of information she received when she made contact with her clone. The truth of Mileena's innermost thoughts and feelings were laid bare and presented before Kitana, shown directly into her mind. Armed with that, she decided to accept Mileena, not just into her home, but as her family. As her sister. This instantly made Mileena completely and totally loyal to the Empress.

The Empress had no misgivings of the situation either. Because she could essentially see straight into Mileena's heart with but the slightest touch, she knew that there was nothing Mileena could hide from her. Because of this, Kitana was confident in giving her free reign within the Manse.

The days turned into weeks. Mileena had fully integrated into Idlewyld Manse and Edenia. She grew closer to her sister by the day and was getting along with everyone, inclusive of the once skeptical Emerald Assassin, Jade. The citizenry now knew her to be the Empress' sister. As such, Kitana called for an assembly of her subjects.

"Citizens of Edenia", she addressed the crowd. "Today, I stand before you alongside a woman who at one time was a sworn enemy. A nemesis to our land that served under the rule of the tyrant Shao Kahn." A bit of shame hit Mileena and she dropped her head and blushed a bit. Seeing that, Kitana placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Much has changed since the death of the evil emperor. And know this, my people. I have seen with my own eyes that Mileena is now not only worthy of being able to call Edenia her home, but she is worthy of being acknowledged as what she is. My sister."

At this grand meeting, Kitana went on to publicly disclose Mileena's partial Tartakan heritage and openly professed that it was of no matter, as regardless of it, she was still her sister. She then bestowed Mileena with the noble rank and title "Tzarevna", officially naming her second in line to the Edenian throne, barring Kitana producing an heir. She also presented her sister with a new pair of masterfully crafted sai, each bearing a crest Kitana created to signify her rank. To Mileena, this act solidified Kitana's acceptance of her as well as further strengthened her trust and loyalty to the Empress.

* * *

On an autumn day like any other, Tzarevna Mileena was in Idlewyld Manse's rear garden enjoying a calm morning. As was the norm, her mind raced with thoughts of just how much she was loving life. She had family in her sister, a friend in Jade, and a kingdom full of people that treated her like a normal person. Deep down, Mileena felt that she could have died right then and would have been able to pass on happily, as things in her life were, for lack of a better term, perfect.

And then, suddenly…

CRASH! KABOOOOOOOOM!

Mileena looked up from the rose bush she was tending and saw a massive portal gate in the sky, the like of which she had not seen since the days of Shao Kahn's invasions. Falling from the portal were large balls of fire and what looked like winged demon troops from the depths of hell itself. The countryside was set ablaze and she could see the demon soldiers attacking people randomly.

Her first thought was not to protect herself or run for safety, but to be by her sister's side. Mileena took off as fast as her feet would carry her for Kitana's personal bedchamber. As she dashed down the main foyer that lead to their personal rooms, Mileena caught sight of the captain of the guard fending off a pair of the winged soldiers. Glimpsing the flash of pink in his periphery, the captain turned his head toward Mileena.

"Go princess!" he yelled as he parried an attack. "I am fine. Go to the Empress!"

Without missing a step, Mileena drew both her sai and continued full speed down the foyer. Upon arrival at Kitana's chamber, she heard the sounds of struggle from within. Mileena wasted no time. She kicked in the door just in time to catch one of the winged troops about to attack Kitana at her blindside as she fought off another. The thought of action came upon her in a split second.

Mileena threw one of her sai into the wall just past the troop. The soldier's attention was turned to the weapon as it impaled into the wall. Taking advantage of this, Mileena launched herself forward with a leg extended. Before the soldier could react, her foot made hard and satisfying contact right in the face. The sheer force of Mileena's attack sent the soldier reeling through a nearby window.

"That entrance was quite dynamic, princess," said a voice that was out of sight. Just then, an all too familiar throwing blade found its way into the nape of the remaining winged soldier's neck, severing the spinal cord. As the troop slumped to the floor dead, Jade jumped into the room from Kitana's balcony.

"Sister! Jade!" Mileena yelped through the panting whilst reclaiming the weapon she had thrown. "What in the name of the Elder Gods is going on?"

"I have no idea, tzarevna," Jade replied as she plucked her wing blade from the dead enemy's corpse. "But whatever it is, we have to keep Kitana safe!" That statement made Mileena grip her sai harder and get closer to her sister.

The Empress took a moment to compose herself and catch her breath. Once she had he wits about her, she immediately went into field commander mode. "Jade!" Empress Kitana called out. "I want you to round up as many of the guard as you can. Work with them in gathering survivors of the attack. Take them to the hard safe room in the second level basement." Jade nodded and disappeared in an instant. "Mileena, you are with me. We are going to see if this snake has a head that can be cut off."

The sisters took off, making certain to stay close together, to search the grounds of the Manse and the surrounding area for any semblance of leadership amongst their new foes.

* * *

Author's Notes: First, let me start off by apologizing for taking so damn long to update. I recently reactivated my account on Final Fantasy XI Online and have been playing religiously with my son and boyfriend.

Tzarevna is essentially the Russian equivelant of a princess, hence why I use the two terms interchangeably in this story. As a little tidbit that really holds no bearing to the story, I see the Tzarevna noble rank crest Kitana created for Mileena as the same crest that is this story's cover art, only instead red, its bright neon pink on the black background. Also, in case it isn't well apparent by now, my Mileena is far more partial to pink than purple.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 – Confronting the Threat

With a resolve clad in tempered steel, Empress Kitana and Tzarevna Mileena burst out from the gate of the Idlewyld Manse. Determined to discover the reasoning and source of the attack, the royal pair set forth. However, with literally nothing to go from, they had to resort to merely following all the chaos and carnage that was gripping the streets of the capital.

As they entered the main square of the city, Kitana took in a hard breath and froze in her tracks. The Empress looked on in horror as the true toll of all the devastation started to sink in on her. When she regained herself, Kitana seethed with a bubbling volcanic anger inside as her beloved Jerrod City, which she named for her late father after Shao Kahn's defeat, was sieged upon before her very eyes. She looked on as all the hard work and dedication the people of Edenia had put forth rebuilding Jerrod City was thrown by the wayside.

"Sister!" she called out. Tzarevna Mileena was right by her side. In a voice that managed to be both icy cold while simultaneously burning with rage, Kitana spoke. "Whatever dog lies at the epicenter of all this WILL die, and it shall be by my hand!" Mileena noticed that Kitana had clenched a fist so tightly that her nails drew blood from her palm.

Almost as if on cue, a squad of demon foot soldiers rounded a corner. Mileena gripped both of her sai harder and steeled herself for battle. "If die they must," she said as she took off toward the troupe of demons, "then die they shall!" She dove directly into the pack of them and began skillfully picking them apart.

Kitana had no argument there. She angled her head to release a satisfying pop from her neck then jumped in with Mileena. "FOR EDENIA!" she cried as she expanded her fans and commenced with the dismemberment of her foes.

Unbeknownst to the royal pair, a short distance away on a rooftop overlooking the city square, a figure draped in shadow looked on. This presence observed intently as the sisters valiantly defended the city. When they progressed after finishing picking apart that squad, it moved to follow, mindful of distance and position, so as to continue to avoid detection.

Without even an inkling of what was behind them, Kitana and Mileena continued to traverse the city, fighting any demons along the way. After freeing one of her sai that had lodged into a particularly meaty portion of one of the troopers, Mileena caught sight of a portal gate opening on the ground not far from their scuffle. "Sister," she called in a somewhat muted tone. "There." Kitana's head snapped in the direction Mileena pointed her sai. What she saw made the very blood in her veins boil.

Stepping from the portal gate as it closed and flanked by a platoon sized element of foot soldiers was the Nether Realm sorcerer himself; Quan Chi. "The head of the snake," Kitana said. "Come sister. Let us cut it from its body." Mileena wiped a spatter of demon's blood from her chest and nodded.

Empress Kitana and Tzarevna Mileena moved swiftly and silently. The necromancer had not seen them yet and they planned to use the element of surprise in their favor. Their stealthy tactics paid off as they managed to flank Quan Chi without so much as a sound.

As the platoon of demons fanned out to deliver even more ruin, Quan Chi looked out upon the decimation wrought upon Jerrod City by his twisted designs. Seeing Kitana's capital city being brought to its knees put a wicked smile to the necromancer's lips. However, as he calmly reveled in what he thought was going to be an easy victory, Kitana and Mileena maneuvered themselves to more advantageous positions; Kitana toward his rear and Mileena directly to his right on a slightly elevated spot. Taking this perch would prove to be a very wise decision. As the Empress settled in to position and prepared to strike, Mileena locked eyes onto her.

When Kitana gave her a signal, a simple nod, Mileena winged one of her sai downward with all the force she could muster and with pinpoint accuracy. By the time his mind could process what his body was telling him, it was already too late. Mileena's sai had impaled Quan Chi's foot clean through to the ground, effectively pinning him in place. Immediately, Kitana pounced. As the sorcerer bellowed in agony, the Empress summoned a torrent of wind to push her forward, launching her toward her prey. Unnerved and panic stricken by the sudden ambush, Quan Chi did the only thing he could think of in time to protect himself.

With a snap of his fingers, the sorcerer open a portal gate above him, dropping a massive ogre-like demon soldier directly between him and the fast approaching Kitana. Not to be deterred, Kitana stayed her course, crashing right into the behemoth before unceremoniously driving one of her still folded iron bladed fans into the beast's jugular. When the titanic ogre hit the ground, she forcibly unfurled the fan, decapitating her quarry. The entire sequence took place in a matter of a few seconds.

Quan Chi's attempt at defending himself achieved little but affording the brief respite needed to free his foot. Unfortunately for him, both sisters were upon him and he was hobbled. The only reason he even managed to limp the few feet away he had gotten was because Mileena had a bit of a laugh about that entire sequence.

"Neatly done, sister," she said as she retrieved the sai Quan Chi had to remove. "Though I have to apologize," she began as she wiped the streaks of crimson from it. "I took the honor of drawing first blood away from you."

With a stone cold scowl scrawled upon her face, Kitana spoke as she closed the distance between herself and the necromancer. "You are forgiven, Mileena. This wretch deserves far more." By then, she was close enough to sweep his legs from under him, easy enough given the hole through his right foot. In an instant, she was standing over him, her heel at his throat. With venom dripping from each word she spoke, Empress Kitana pressed her heel in and said, "Figured you would just jump in where Shao Kahn left off? How fare you grand machinations now, swine?!" She then dropped to her knees, straddling his chest, and proceeded to strangle him with her bare hands. As she constricted his throat with all her might, Kitana fervently barked, "This is for the people of my father's city, you filth!"

Though freed from her old ways and mentality, Mileena took an odd pleasure in seeing Quan Chi squirm as her sister choked the very life from the evil bastard's bones. Justice was being done right before her. She reveled in the moment as the sorcerer's eyes began to glaze over and he blacked out.

However, before Empress Kitana could squeeze the last remnants of life from his limp body, she was suddenly lifted from the ground. Then… Pain! Sharp, piercing, and agonizing pain. A larger, bat winged demon with talons not unlike those of a falcon grabbed her by the shoulders, digging those talons into her flesh. As they gained distance from the ground, the Empress began to lose all feeling in her left arm.

"Sister! No!" But before Mileena could react to assist, she was blindsided by a second bat trooper and thrown into a nearby brick wall. Her head made hard contact with a sickening thud and while she didn't get knocked out, she impacted hard enough to make her head bleed profusely and put her into an incoherent dazed stupor. And though Quan Chi wasn't conscious to be able to enjoy the moment, his demons were ready to finish it. They flew closer to each other, intent on pulling the Empress apart in midair.

Unable to wrest herself from its grip, Kitana looked on in horror as the other bat winged demon edged closer. When it came within striking distance, it reached out its taloned feet, ready to dismember their wounded prey.

Just before it could grab her, Empress Kitana's ears were assaulted by the most horrid high pitched screech. Suddenly, her airborne captor was violently writhing about, struggling to stay aloft. Kitana looked up at it and saw why. A kunai type dagger was embedded in the bat winged demon's eye socket, its purple life liquid spurting all about in strong, fast jets. Panicking from the intense pain and all the blood it was losing, the demon lost its fight to keep altitude. The descent was quick and the landing harsh, but the Empress had enough of her wits about her to know to try and seek cover.

Digging herself from under the heap of the rapidly dying bat creature, Kitana scrambled to her feet. Battling the pain and dead weight of her now useless left arm slowed her in this and before she could reach any sheltered place, she was accosted by the second bat trooper. It landed a heavy blow to her face with one of its wings, forcing her down on her backside. It stood menacingly over her and let out a loud cackling laugh triumphantly as it was ready to finish her off. Then, another ear drum shattering screech. When it stopped, the bat demon dropped to its knees in place, then lurched over dead with a short blade sticking into its spine.

Kitana looked up to see, standing right behind it, a slim, scantily clad warrior woman with fiery red hair, a blade identical to the one in the bat demon's back in hand, and the same daggers that killed the first one strapped to her leg. By then, Mileena had regained enough of herself to recognize the woman. Fighting the haze in her head, she spoke one word in a groggy voice; "Skarlet?"

* * *

Author's Note: While I can't promise more frequent updates considering "Life Happens", I at least hope I won't allow a year to go by without another entry again. Since I finished my degree, moved cross country, and don't play Final Fantasy XI (my main time waster for years) anymore, I will at least attempt to put something out more often for the few that have enjoyed what I've written so far.


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